Olean General has first COVID-19 patient

OLEAN — Olean General Hospital is treating its first two patients to test positive for COVID-19 — one patient was admitted Wednesday

and the test result was confirmed Friday.

Hospital officials said Saturday morning that the patient, a 35-year-old woman from Allegany County, is not on a ventilator and currently recovering in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

"The patient did not come in contact with any other patients at OGH," a hospital release stated. "The hospital staff who examined the patient and continue to treat are using all appropriate measures to avoid potential exposure to the virus. This includes use of personal protective equipment (PPE)."

The Cattaraugus County Department of Health is conducting the standard investigation and tracking of the patient and the patient’s contacts.

More from this section

“We cannot thank our staff enough for their commitment to patient and employee safety at OGH”, said Jeff Zewe, president and CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System.

Early in March, UAHS and its member hospitals, Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center, established an organization-wide coronavirus steering committee and command center operation to address this pandemic. The group has been coordinating emergency preparedness, response efforts, as well as daily communication with Federal, State and County agencies.

“We are so proud of the preparedness and the effort put forth to help ensure the health and safety of our employees, our patients and the community at-large,” Zewe said. “Our thoughts are with the patient during recovery."

As of Friday, there were more than 6,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in New York, with almost 1,600 in intensive care. The state has logged a nation-high of 519 deaths, and has more than 44,000 confirmed cases.